Types of Brain Tumors

There are many types of brain tumors, including primary and secondary brain tumors. Primary brain tumors are named by the type of brain tissue in which they are found. The most common primary brain tumors are gliomas, which begin in the glial, or supportive, tissue of the brain.

Types of Gliomas

These are some of the many types of gliomas.

• Astrocytomas. These tumors come from the small star-shaped cells called astrocytes. They can grow anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. In adults, astrocytomas usually occur in the cerebrum. In children, they occur in the cerebellum, cerebrum, and brain stem.

• Brain stem gliomas. These tumors usually show up in the brain stem. Because the brain stem controls many important functions, such as breathing and heart rate, these tumors usually cannot be removed by surgery.

• Ependymomas, which are called germ cells. They usually occur in ovaries and testicles. It is not known why these tumors sometimes start in the brain. The most frequent kind of germ cell tumor in the brain is called a germinoma.

• Tumors of the pineal gland. These tumors grow in and around the pineal gland. The pineal gland is a tiny organ near the center of the brain. The tumors can be slow-growing, called pineocytoma, or fast-growing, called pineoblastoma. They usually cause headaches and block the flow of spinal fluid, which is called hydrocephalus. They also interfere with the ability to move the eyes upward. Because this area is at the center of the brain, it is difficult to reach.

• Primary central nervous system lymphoma. Primary central nervous system lymphoma is an aggressive, rare type of tumor derived from lymphocytes, a type of immune cell. It is more common in people with a disease of the immune system, such as AIDS. But over the last 30 years, it has become more frequent in otherwise healthy individuals.

Secondary brain tumors are also known as metastatic brain tumors. These are cancers that start in another organ and then travel to the brain. Cancer in the brain that has spread from these cancers is not considered brain cancer. They are still the same type of cancer as where they started. For instance, lung cancer that has spread to the brain isn’t called brain cancer; it is called metastatic lung cancer. These are the most typical cancers that spread to the brain.

• Lung cancer

• Breast cancer

• Melanoma

• Lymphoma

• Kidney cancer